A bogus workman claiming to be looking for gardening work targeted two elderly women in their homes, one aged 87 and the other 77, stealing £1,600 from the older pensioner.
John McPhee (28), of Dura Street, conned his way into the pensioners’ homes on separate occasions in January and diverted the women’s attention by asking them to make him a cup of tea. He then stole their money and made off.
McPhee, who had originally appeared in private on petition last week before the indictment was reduced to a summary complaint by the Crown, admitted that on January 9, at Logie Avenue, he stole £35 from a 77-year-old woman.
He further admitted that on January 31, at a house in Kenmore Terrace, he stole a purse containing £1,600 from an 87-year-old woman.
Depute fiscal Nicola Gillespie told the court the 77-year-old woman was in her house awaiting her mobile hairdresser. She had her purse, which contained £35 to pay for the haircut, in the living room.
The accused managed to convince her he was working for a friend of hers who had gone out and asked to fill his watering can.
Once in the house he asked for a cup of tea and to visit the toilet. When he left she became suspicious and saw her cash was missing.
Police were contacted, and although the accused wasn’t traced at the time, CCTV spotted him coming from that area and standing outside a local shop.
On January 31, the 87-year-old woman opened the door to McPhee, who told her he needed access to trim a tree in the rear garden.
While in the house he asked for a cup of tea. After drinking it, he asked the pensioner to make another cup of tea and went to use the toilet.
Ms Gillespie said when he didn’t reappear after about 10 minutes the woman became suspicious and went to look for him.
He emerged from the living room and told her he had been looking for the toilet. After finishing his cup of tea, she felt he had overstayed his welcome and asked him to leave.
”Once he had gone she went to check her bag and found her purse, where she kept her savings, was missing,” the depute said.
She said police were called and made door-to-door enquiries but it wasn’t until February 17 that police received a tip-off that McPhee was responsible for the crimes.
During interviews, he denied knowing either of the women and denied the charges.
Solicitor Scott Norrie said McPhee had three previous convictions for dishonesty ”but nothing of this magnitude.”
He said the accused was on a community payback order of 18 months, imposed in November, and was also on a restriction of liberty order until March 12.
Mr Norrie told the court he had assumed heroin was to blame for his actions but McPhee had told him that he was now free of the drug and, having no benefits, had stolen the cash in an attempt to buy a van.
He said McPhee had done some legitimate gardening work in the past and wanted the van to be able to resume that.
McPhee had in fact bought a van, which was in the possession of a friend, he added.
Sheriff Munro deferred sentence on McPhee until March 23 for reports and told him: ”There was absolutely no prospect of bail.”
She also told Ms Gillespie she hoped the Crown will take some action in terms of the van to see if some form of compensation can be obtained for the victims, particularly for the 87-year-old woman.